Accelerator operating means



Sept. 15, 1931. n. L MITCHELL 1,823,522

ACCELERATOR OPERATING MEANS Filed Jan. 29, 1930 glwuentoz Down/.0 L. M/ TCHELL UNITED STATES IPAT Patented Sept.- 15, 1931' ENT' orr ca DONALD L. mrcnrin, or mmmrom; INDIANA ATIOELER-ATOR OPERATING- MEANS Application filed January 29,1930. Seria1 No. 424,228. 1 V

This invention relates to accelerator attachments' for vehicle motors and particularly to that'cl'ass having a gear shift lever and one feature of the invention is the 'provision of means for manually operating the accelerator and without interfering with the foot operating means for the accelerator.

A further feature of the invention is in mounting the manually operated means in connection with the gear shifting lever in a manner that the accelerator may be operated without interfering with the. operation of such lever.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of means for connecting the manually operated mechanism with the foot operating mechanism and in a manner'that the foot controlled parts may be operated without interfering-with the hand operated parts.

A further feature of the invention is in so constructing and arranging the hand operating portion of the device that it will form a part of the gear shifting lever.

- Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter more fully set forth and pointed out w in the accompanying specification.

In the accompanying drawings which are made a partof this application,

Figure-1 is a diagrammatic elevation of parts of a motor propelled vehicle with m im roved accelerator attached thereto.

igure 2 is an-enlargeddetail elevation of apart of a gear shift lever,-w ith parts broken out.

F igure 3 is a similar view at a different l angle, with parts broken away, as along line 3-3, Fig". 4. I Fi 're4 is a top plan view of the gear shiftmglevenwith parts broken out, and, Figure 5 is a sectional view as seen along line5'5,Fig'.1.. Referringto the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the gear case of an internal comto I bus'tion engine, whichmay be of any .pre-

ferred structure and 2 indicates a lever employed'for shifting the gears (not shown) within the gear case 1, the parts herein shown being thatofv a model A Ford automobile.

"In this form of vehicle, the carburetor 3 is operated for accelerating the same by means of a foot operated mechanism 4, which is connected to the valve operating .lever 5 of the carbureter by means of a crank arm 6 and a rod 7, the lower end of-the crank arm 6 having a laterally, extending shank 8, to which the rod '7 is connected, the free end of the shank 8 having a rearwardly extending finger 9, making the shank substantially L- shaped.

A great, deal of difficulty has been en-' countered in releasing thefoot from the foot .brake pedal to apply pressure to the accelerator pedal, especially in dense traffic or when the vehicle is resting on an incline and to overcome this objectionable feature and make it possible for the operator to retain his foot on the brake pedal at critical times, means are herein shown for manually operating the accelerator from the gear shift lever 2. To this end a specialknob 10 is attached to the upper end of the gear shift lever'2, which is formed in an upper and lower section 11 and 12, the lower face of the section 11 having a circumferential flange 13, forming a cavity 14, into which extends a flange 15 on the upper face of the lower section 12, the flange 15 fitting within the flange 13. At the axial center of the lower face of the up er section 11 is formed a socket 16 into WhlCh extends a stud 17, projecting upwardly from the axial center of the section 12, thevstud 17 having a shoulder 18, against which the face of thesection 11 rests, thus holding the two sections in'proper spaced relation. The .two sections 11 and 12 are held'in cooperative relation with each other by means of a screw 19, or other suitable means, which. passes downwardly through a bore20 in the section 11 and threads into thsection 12 in such manner' that the section 1 1 will have free rotating movement, around thestud 17. The

section 12 may be attached to the end of the lever 2 by threading the same onto the lever or entering the end of the lever into a socket 21 and securing the same therein in any suitable manner, as by meansof 'a set screw 22. .Formed in an angular direction through which passes a controlling wire 24, the upper end of which is attached to the under face of the lower section 12, is an opening 23, through the section 11, while the opposite end thereof is attached to an adjusting mechanism 25, which is in turn attached to an operating lever 26, pivotally mounted on parts of the frame 27, of the vehicle. The wire 24 preferably extends through a flexible tube 28, the upper end of which is preferably entered in the lower end of the opening 23 and held therein by means of a binding screw 29, said tube being passed through suitable anchoring clips 30, disposed at intervals throughout the length of the tube, certain of said clips being carried by the lever 2 and others attached to suitable parts of the vehicle. As shown, the wire and flexible tube are mounted exteriorly of the lever 2, but in the event the lever 2 is hollow, the wire and tube may be extended for a distance through the lever. The upper end of the operating lever 26 rests in the path of the laterally extendin shank 8 of -the crank arm 6, so that it wil pass between the crank arm 6 and the finger 9, said crank arm and finger holding the lever 26 in proper alinement at all times, the upper end of the lever 26 normally resting in slight spaced relation with the shank 8,

so that the throw of the lever'26 may be regulated through the medium of the adjusting mechanism 25. A tension spring 31 is extended from parts of the vehicle to the upper end of the lever 26, for returning and hold ing the lever 26 in its retracted position. v

The trend of thewire 24 through the lower secton 12 and through the cavity 14, of the section 11, is substantially spirally to the axis of the knob 10, so that when the section 11 is rotated no abrupt bends or binding points will be formed in the wire, the end of the opening 23'entering the cavity 14 being flared to remove all sharp edges and permitting the wire to freely move lengthwise in either direction without binding.

The wire 24 is further retained in substantially spiral formation by means of a circular wall 32,:extending upwardly fromthe face of the "section 12, the ends 33 and 34 forming stops for a pin 35 carried by the member 11, thus limiting the rotating niovement'of the member 11 in each direction.

In operating the present device, the motor may be accelerated-by hand,by grasping the knob 10 and rotating the member 11 to the right, thus directing a lon itudinal ull on the wire 24 and swinging tie to en of the operating lever 26 forwardly an against the shank 8, a continued pull on the wire causing thelever 26. to move the rod 7 lengthwise and open the valve 'inthecarbureter and admit agreater volume of gaseous mixture. -When; the carburetor valve has been'opened to its full extent-the pin 35 will strike against. the end 33 of the wall 32 and prevent further ro-v tationof the member. 11. soon as the rotating action is released from the member 11 the spring 31 will instantly swing the upper end of .the lever 26 away from the shank 8 and permit the carbureter valve to close and also rotate the'member 11 until the pin 35 again strikes the end 34 of the wall 32.

- This operation can be performed either during the shifting of the lever 2 or while the lever is standing stationary and independently of the foot operating mechanism 4, so that the driver may usehis foot exclusively for operating the brake mechanism of the vehicle, this being especially advantageous when in congested trailic or on an incline,-

such as a steep grade or mountain road, where it is necessary to accelerate while the brake is still in operation to hold the car, or on the instant the brake mechanism starts to release.

While I have shown this-device attached to a model A Ford automobile, it will be understood that with slight variations in attachments, it may be attached to any make of car using a gear shift lever, and by properly adjusting the mechanism 25-with respect to the operating. lever, the shifting of the gear shifting lever to various "position, willnot efiect the proper operationof the accelerator operating mechanism.

While the description and drawings illustrate in a general way certain instrumentalities which maybe employed in carrying the invention into efiect, it is evident that many modifications may be made in the various details without departing from the scope of the appended claims, it being understood that the invention is not restricted to the particular examples herein described.

What I claim is: I

1. The combination with a foot operated accelerating mechanism and a gear shift lever, of a knob attached to said lever, said knob comprising-a stationary member and a rotatable member connected therewith, said stationary member having an opening therethrough, a wire extending through said opening and being attached to the rotatable member, said opening being constructed to prevent binding of the wire againstany parts thereof, and means to which the opposite end of said wire is connected adapted to operate the accelerator mechanism without applying pressure on the foot operating mechamsm when a lengthwise pull is made on said wires- 2. The combination with a foot operated accelerator and a gear shiftlever, of a pivotallymounted operating lever adapted to be contacted with ortions of said foot operatinghmechanism a ob having a stationary part and-.a r0 tatable part, a wire attached at one end to said movable portion of the knoband at its opposite end to said operating lever, and

means for limiting the rotation of said ro- 'tatable portion of said knob.

' 3.' The combination with an accelerator for a carbureteradapted to receivepressui'e from the foot for operating the same,-and a gear or operating the accelerator,

I no

through saidfixed section and attached to said rotatable member ada ted to be moved lengghwise when the rotata le member is rotate 4. The combination with a foot operated -lever, of a knob attached to said lever, said accelerating mechanism andv a gear shift knob comprising a stationary member and a rotatable member connected therewith, said stationary member having an opening therethrough, a wire extending through'said opening and. being attached directly to said rotatable member, and means to which the opposite end of. said wire is attached adapted "to operate the accelerator mechanism without applying pressure onthe foot operating mechanism when a lengthwise pull is made on said wire and permit operation of the accelerating means with the footwitho'ut imparting action to said knob and parts connected therewith.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set this 18th day of J anuar 1930.

my hand on DONALD L. MITC LL. 

